Diction

Diction（措词）：Diction, the choice of words and phrases to express meaning, must be based on the accurate comprehension of the original. The meaning of a word is its use in the language, not only its definitions in the dictionary. A dictionary does not require or forbid a particular sense of a word but records the uses that have been found for it. Now and then a word is in the process of acquiring a new sense or somewhat altering its usual one. The dictionary definition is for the most part a record of the denotation of a word and often cannot give its connotation (Perrin 1965: 366).
Lexicographers or dictionary compilers agree that in many cases two corresponding words of different languages do not always convey exactly the same idea. Words do not have meanings; people have meanings for words (词本无义，义随人生). Each word when used in a new context is a new word.
Beginners often rigidly adhere to the verbal consistency (字面上的对应) of words in two languages, while neglecting their contextual consistency (上下文中的一致). Care should therefore be taken in translating to determine from the context the exact shade of meaning of a word or an expression in the source text and the choice of an appropriate one to express the meaning in the target version.
A word in different collocations or context.
Example:
Like charges repel; unlike charges attract.
相同的电荷相斥，不同的电荷相吸。

He likes mathematics more than English. 他喜欢数学胜于喜欢英语。

Like knows like.英雄识英雄。

The two pictures are very like.
Like attracts like. 物以类聚。

（n. 同类人/物）Like cures like.以毒攻毒。

Like for like.以牙还牙。

( diction/ choice of words) He likes English and maths. (vt. 喜欢)
Do as you like. (vi. 愿意) Like charges repel; unlike charges attract. (adj. 相同的)
Very like, he will come tomorrow.(adv. 可能) He looks like an American. (prep .像，如，跟---一样.) I hope I can speak Putonghua like you do.(conj. 如同)
3.Choice of Contextual Meanings ：The meaning and/or the word class of a polyseme（一词多义）can only be decided in certain context.
4.Choice of Collocative Meanings
Build (v.)
◎build a house盖房子build a bridge架桥build a ship造船build a dam筑坝
build a fire生火build a stamp collection集邮build a car制造汽车
◎build an answer思索作答build one's confidence树立信心build the drama of a story构思故事的戏剧性情节build scholars of tomorrow培养未来的学者Reading builds the mind.阅读能发展智能。

5.Choice of Stylistic Meanings：书面语VS口语古语词/旧词VS现代词/新词.......
6.Choice of Affective Meanings:Three basic types of affective meanings: commendatory, neutral and derogatory
A. The word itself has commendatory sense or derogatory sense.
For instance: He was a man of high renown. 他是位有名望的人。

B. The word itself is neutral but show commendatory or derogatory sense in certain context.
For example: Those who do not remember the past are condemned to relive it.
凡是忘掉过去的人注定要重蹈覆辙。

C. The word itself has both commendatory sense and derogatory sense.
译者在确定词义时必须把握措辞分寸，准确地传达其情感色彩。

For example: He is an aggressive salesman. 他是个很有进取心/干劲的销售员。

7.Extension(引申）
Conversion（转换法）：A word in one language belonging to a certain part of speech is not necessarily to be turned into one of the same part of speech in another language.
Conversion of Word Speech（词性的转化）
英语句子重形合（hypotaxis）: and, but, if , as, therefore, when, however, moreover or in addition, what’s more important ；汉语句子重意合（parataxis）
◎Converted into verbs：Noun ---verbs 、Prep.---verbs 、Adj. ---verbs、Adv.---verbs
◎Converted into nouns：Verbs derived from nouns。

Verb in the sentence of passive voice: can be translated into the structure such as “受（遭）到……+名词”、“予（加）以+名词”
◎Converted into adjectives：Nouns derived from adj.、Nouns + a(n) used as predicatives Adverbs Others
增词法Amplification：Addition means supplying necessary words in translation, making the version grammatically correct, semantically clear, rhetorically sound, logically acceptable, and culturally apporiate. Words thus supplied must be indispensible syntactically, semantically, stylistically, and contextually.
Structural addition is mainly due to the structural or grammatical differences between E and C. What is omitted or unnecessary in E may be indispensable in C, or vice versa; hence the principle of addition in translating.
Supplying words omitted or substituted in the original 补充原文省略或被替代的词
Supplying words necessary in structure or collocation of the target text 补充译文结构或搭配所
需要的词
Semantic Addition：增加动词：由于意义上的需要及英汉语言上的差异，英语中重复用词的情况较少，而汉语有时为了达到一定的修辞效果，经常使用重叠或排比句，翻译成汉语时需要在名词前增加动词。

增加形容词增加副词增加名词增加表示复数的词：由于汉语名词的复数没有词形的变化，很多情况下不必表达出来，但有时需要通过增加“们，各位，诸位”等。

如“各位领导，各位嘉宾，老师们，同学们，大家好！”（ladies and gentlemen）Omission 减词法：
词的省略：省略，是指不译出原文中的某些词的意思。

省略不是删除原文中的意思，而是省去那些在译文中不言而喻的字词，或省去那些译出来反嫌累赘或不合语法表达习惯的词语。

一、语法性省略：省略代词、连词、介词和冠词。

二、修辞性省略：省略英语中某些重复出现的短语；省略根据汉语习惯可有可无的的词。